Crist lyvede here was a jugement of þis world, for it was an open mater to juge it at þe dai of dome. For no man may excuse þis, siþ God and man lyvede þus to teche men þe weye to hevene and fle þe falsnesse of þe fend, and ȝit man leveþ Cristis lore, and goiþ þe weie þat þe fend techiþ, þat ne þei leden [and þus þey leden, E.] a liif here to make hem dampned aftirward. And so dampnacioun is taken now for dampnyng executid. And now, for cause of þis dampnyng, as þis gospel spekiþ here, þis world þat þus shal be dampned haþ a capteyn, þat is þe fend, þe which is clepid kyng and prince; for he is kyng of alle þe children of pryde, and he is prince of þis world, for he lediþ his lymes þis weie. But Crist seiþ here þat þis prince shal be cast out bi him. For Crist overcam þis fend, and tauȝte anoþer good lore, how þat men shulden come to hevene, and leeve þe fendis weie þat he tauȝte. For alȝif þe fend have children þe whiche he bigiliþ þus, neþeles þe ground is Goddis, siþ þei have her [þe, E.] kynde of God. And so þe fend, in al his werkes, is a tirant and a þeef.
But here shal we undirstonde þat al þat God haþ ordeyned to peyne moten nedis be dampned in helle; but many, bigilid bi þe fend, weren ordeyned to turne to Crist; and þes weren ever ordeyned to blis, and nevere to be dampned in helle. And to þis entent spekiþ Crist in þe word þat comeþ aftir, þat ȝif he be hiȝed fro þe erþe, he shal drawe alle þingis to him silf. No doute Crist spekiþ here of his passioun of þe crosse; for þanne Crist is hiȝed fro þe erþe to many undirstondingis. And ȝif Crist semede þanne faile power to do ouȝt, ȝit he was þanne almyȝti, and his drawing was ful strong, for þanne he drowȝ bi his vertue alle men þat he shoop to blis. And so he drowȝ fro þe fend many þat he wenede to have, and so þes þat leeven undrawun wanten þe eende þat þei shulden have, and so þei ben clepid nouȝt oftetymes in holi writt. And þus spekiþ Crist here, þat þei ben alle þingis þat he drawiþ. Defaute is not in þis drawer whi þes fendis lymes ben not drawun, but defaute is in hem, þat þei fasten not on þis drawere, siþ noon is drawun but wilfulli, and he wantiþ good will; þei ben so slipre and so hard þat Goddis word takiþ not in hem.
